They may look alike from a distance and share the same habitat, but how does a Bellyak compare to a kayak? Well friends, settle in because we’re about to tell you.

The Basics: Same Daddy Different Moms

A kayak and a bellyak have a similar hull, similar rocker profile, and are both made of plastic. Both occupy the same habitat and both have a similar hull speed for their length. Both are made on the same machine, cooked in the same oven out of the same plastic and by the same people. From twenty feet away, they pass as siblings.

Upon Closer Inspection

Kayaking is sitting in a boat with a paddle on your butt, wearing a sprayskirt.

What Happens if I flip over?

In a kayak

If you flip over in a kayak you can roll up, wet exit, or drown. The best option is rolling up. It’s easier to learn than uni-cycling and a little harder than riding a bike. But, the fear of being upside down underwater is the primary reason more people don’t get into whitewater kayaking. Evolution anyone?

In a bellyak

If you flip on a bellyak, three things can happen: You roll up, you fall off and get back on, or you swim. There is no situation in which you will be trapped upside down – ever. Because of this, most people learn to navigate whitewater much more quickly on a bellyak and the sport is more accessible for a wider range of people.

And What happens if I Don’t Roll up?

When you swim in a kayak your boat fills with water and you have to get you and your gear to the shore. Your 90 gallon creek boat now weighs 700 pounds and life sucks. Your friends mock you and you have to chug a beer out of your dirty river shoe.

If you swim off your bellyak you flip it back upright and are back on and paddling before your buddies will ever have a chance to laugh. You can drink your beer like a normal person, from the can. >>> See how to roll up on a bellyak here!

Upper Limit of Sport:

Kayaks are pushing the limits of what can be done. The talent out there right now is unprecedented in the history of the sport! On the other hand, bellyaks are cutting the edge off of Class III unlike any craft. Surf, squirt, slice and do it without a paddle. Bellyak is still a relative toddler in the evolution of the sport, and who knows where it will go. WHO KNOWS WHERE YOU WILL TAKE IT?

The Verdict?

Both. Bellyaks and Kayaks are for water lovers like multiple bikes are for bike lovers. If you have to own only one? A bellyak. Obviously. It’s the best part of getting woke.

*note to those with kayak allergies: The bellyak was produced on machines that manufacture kayaks.